American and Japanese divers discovered remains and remains of five victims, Crew members of a US plane that crashed last week. off southwest Japan, the Air Force announced this Monday.
The plane, a V-22 Osprey, crashed last Wednesday off the island of Yakushima during a training mission. According to the Japanese Coast Guard, the plane had a crew of six, despite an initial estimate of eight American crew members on board. The body of one victim had already been recovered and identified.
Japanese Navy and U.S. Army divers saw what appeared to be the front section of the OspreyWith possible five crew members missingJapanese public television NHK and other media reported.
Japanese naval officials declined to confirm the reports, saying they could not reveal details without US consent.
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said that the remains were being recovered and that you Identities had not yet been determined.
“The top priority is getting Airmen home and caring for their families. The support and privacy of the families and relatives affected by this incident remains AFSOC’s top priority,” he said in a statement.
The device took off from the US base in Iwakuni, in Yamaguchi prefecture, and was heading towards the Kadena base, in the Okinawa archipelago, where most of the US military installations in Japan are located.
The Japanese Coast Guard received an alert at 2:47 p.m. (6:47 a.m. in Lisbon) on Wednesday from a fishing vessel about the incident, which occurred off the Japanese province of Kagoshima.
On Saturday, the US military identified the only confirmed victim to date as Air Force Sergeant Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The American-made Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but during flight can rotate its propellers forward and fly faster like an airplane.
Ospreys have suffered several accidents, including in Japan, where they are used on American and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident has revived concerns about safety.
Due to this incident, Japan suspended all flights of its own fleet of 14 Ospreys.
Source: TSF
